Ukraine bans pork imports from Russia

Ukraine has banned pork imports from Russia, Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food said in an official statement.

The decision followed reports by the Russian veterinary and phyto-sanitary watchdog - Rosselkhoznadzor - that meat products infected with an African Swine Fever (ASF) virus had appeared in several parts of Russia, including the cities of Bryansk and Orenburg, the Urals, as well as the Kursk region, including in territories where previous outbreaks of the disease were revealed.

Ukraine's veterinary authorities have forbidden importing animals susceptible to ASF from Russia into Ukraine. Ukraine's State Inspection for Veterinary Medicine has also banned imports of pork meat and pork products; ready-made fodders and livestock supplements as well as fodders of vegetative origin from Russia to Ukraine.

Ukraine's ban may have come in retaliation of a series of restrictive measures which the Russian Federal Agency for Veterinary and Photo-Sanitary Inspection (Rosselkhoznadzor) has recently imposed on Ukrainian foods and products of vegetative origin.

Russia's veterinary and phyto-sanitary watchdog has forbidden the import vegetative products from Ukraine into Russia if they are contained in hand luggage, baggage or postal items. The ban has been enforced since July 28.